The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of lily hybrid, referred to commercially as a longiflorum-Asiatic Lily Hybrid, referred to by the cultivar name `Ceb Beauty`.
This invention is the product of a controlled breeding program in Aurora, Or. The seed parent was GH 485, a proprietary non-released plant. The pollen parent was PATM 1, another proprietary non-released plant.
The longiflorum-Asiatic cross is relatively new to the trade. This type of cross was originally made to create colored Lilium longiflorum hybrids. Instead, due to the difficulty in crossing back to L. longiflorum, the plants that were developed had to be crossed with Asiatic lilies. As such, the results look more like Asiatic lilies. The resulting hybrids often have several advantages, not necessarily in combination, over an Asiatic lily: (1) often larger flowers; (2) often larger, waxier leaves; (3) hybrid vigor; (4) lower susceptibility to scorch; (5) excellent flower texture and substance; (6) more virus resistance; (7) new and clearer colors; and (8) stronger, sturdier stems.
This invention has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, and day length, without, however, any variation in genotype. The following traits have been repeatedly observed in asexually propagated progeny and are determined to be the basic characteristics of this invention which in combination distinguish this lily as a new and distinct cultivar: (1) numerous large, upright flowers of a vibrant orange with very few spots; (2) beautiful orange buds; (3) tall, vigorous, uniform strong stems; (4) excellent vase life; (5) early bloom time; and (6) good bud count. Bulbs of this plant may be precooled and forced out of season for very uniform cut flower production.
To the inventor's knowledge, there are no other longiflorum-Asiatic lily hybrids with this color flower suitable for cut flower forcing on the market. Compared to my other new cultivar `Ceb Magic`, `Ceb Beauty` has taller stems, more flowers per stem, and fewer spots.
Asexual reproduction of this new variety has been initially and subsequently accomplished at Cebeco Lilies, Inc. in Aurora, Or., by scaling and tissue culture. The resulting plants have shown that the above-mentioned unique features are stable and reproduce true to type in each successive propagation.